Storing wine
Many wines are designed to be drunk within a few months of purchase, and most are. However, if you intend to keep any wine longer than a few months, a few basic rules should help.
Firstly, why store wine at all? The answer is that a surprisingly wide range of wine on the market will make a nicer drink if it is stored for a short period of time after being purchased. Ageing a wine in the bottle allows it to evolve very slowly, acquiring complexity and mellowness.
Wines to keep
Suitable wines have several things in common. They will be relatively concentrated (although not necessarily full-bodied). They will have good acidity and, for red wines, plenty of tannin to provide structure.
The obvious candidates for extended cellaring (more than just a couple of years) are the traditional "fine" wines – Cru Classé claret (especially if purchased en primeur), Sauternes, top-end Burgundies (red and white), Rhône wines, Tuscan and Piedmontese reds, top-end Rioja, Ribera de Duero, Australian and Californian wines, as well as Champagne and Port. These wines have established track-records for cellaring, and with good reason.
However, there are other wines that will benefit – that is, actually improve, rather than just "keep" – from a few years bottle-ageing, and they needn't cost the earth. German Riesling is the most notable example – Majestic sells single-estate Mosels for little more than £5 that will continue improving into their second decade. The better reds from the Languedoc, Bergerac, and Cahors will benefit from a year or two in the cellar. You don't have to spend big bucks to find a Rioja Reserva or Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux that will repay some cellaring either. And almost all Champagne will benefit from 6 months to a year extra bottle age after release.
Wines not to keep
Wines that definitely don't benefit from much bottle age are those where their very appeal lies in their freshness. This includes most "modern" white wines such as those made from Sauvignon Blanc (even the relatively expensive Sancerres and Pouilly-Fumés), pretty much all rosé wine, Beaujolais and New World reds. Screwcaps, a relatively recent innovation for wine, might be considered a good clue that the wine they contain is not intended for extended cellaring, although increasingly even very fine wines such as top Clare Valley Rieslings and New Zealand Pinot Noirs are being released with screwcaps.
The key thing is: if in doubt, ask. Our store staff are sufficiently well trained and experienced to offer you expert guidance on what to lay down and what to drink – they are probably storing some wine themselves!
Storage conditions
Wines you are going to keep for a long period of time need and deserve proper storage conditions. The ideal conditions are in the dark with a consistent temperature (somewhere around 10-12°C) and humidity (a little damp), where bottles can lay undisturbed on their sides. It is pretty obvious from this why a cellar is considered the ideal! Champagne is particularly fragile and needs pretty perfect cellaring conditions if it is not to spoil.
If you don't have a ready-made cellar, there are a few options. For storage at home, you could get a spiral cellar installed, or look at investing in a dedicated temperature controlled storage unit (like a special fridge), although neither of these options is cheap.
It may be more convenient to store your wines elsewhere. Specialist companies such as Vinotheque and Octavian offer wine storage for private clients - we can even deliver en primeur wines directly into your account.
The advantage of using these services is that you can store wines "in bond", meaning that they are regulated by Customs for storing wine that has had no VAT or duty charged on it. This can be advantageous, especially if you are considering selling on your investment.
However, for shorter-term storage of up to a year then anywhere out-of-the-way and consistently relatively cool is fine.